Order Kiosks in Food Service
Saturday, August 31, 2024 3:17 PM
I really hope this is a trend that continues.
I went to a Taco Bell the other day, and it was kinda nice to customize the taco more to take away cheese and add in refried beans and pico de gallo. Yeah, I could have technically been done the old fashioned way of asking a person to substitute, but it’s nice to have something visual for me to see all the options. And the kiosk isn’t cognitively overloaded because it has to multitask other job duties, so I feel less bad asking for that.
I know the main issue is that kiosks can’t tell you when something on the menu is out of stock/no longer being served. Franchise owners/corps should give employees more control of the interface there.
But I really hope this expands and continues all the way down to the local mom and pop food service places one day, especially if the tip hustle can die off with it. (I can hope)
How do others feel about them?
I went to a Taco Bell the other day, and it was kinda nice to customize the taco more to take away cheese and add in refried beans and pico de gallo. Yeah, I could have technically been done the old fashioned way of asking a person to substitute, but it’s nice to have something visual for me to see all the options. And the kiosk isn’t cognitively overloaded because it has to multitask other job duties, so I feel less bad asking for that.
I know the main issue is that kiosks can’t tell you when something on the menu is out of stock/no longer being served. Franchise owners/corps should give employees more control of the interface there.
But I really hope this expands and continues all the way down to the local mom and pop food service places one day, especially if the tip hustle can die off with it. (I can hope)
How do others feel about them?
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33 comments
Big minus is that my lion claws sometimes damage the touchscreen. The plus is that they do allow customization.
Also, I had to ask one of the counter help at Taco Bell why there wasn’t an option for ground wildebeest tacos. So order kiosks can’t do everything. ROAR!!!
I don't think this stops the tip hustle when fully automated kiosks at airports ask for tips. I only tip for sit down food. I get a guilt hustle anywhere (even from a troll) I don't tip period.
If you want them everywhere, just vote for a $20+ minimum wage (i.e. the robot full employment act).
Franchise restaurants and fast food in particular will sprint towards this regardless of the minimum wage rate, because automation and AI will be cheaper in the long run than in-store human employees (even at a lower minimum wage).
As far as kiosks at fast food restaurants - that was probably the final reason I quit eating at them. Along with the high prices. The trouble with the old restaurant model, however, is you can't find old ladies willing to make over easy eggs for $2 an hour any more. So now everybody eats "breakfast wraps".
The issue with the self service kiosks is the are so often out of service. It is hard to get touch screen technology on that large of service and they should make it more like a 8-10' ipad.
The doc interviewed Mel Brooks and a bunch of others. It's on Amazon Prime Video. I believe the original concept of H&H started in Germany, and these guys met up via a classified ad one ran looking for a partner. These places were beautiful.
Then, McDonalds and Burger King took over.
I have a friend in Chicago, a hard-core lib and unapologetic, useful idiot, straight-ticket democrat voter who refuses to use any self-service functions because he does not want to be responsible for taking anyone's job away from them. I feel they have voluntary surrendered their jobs, or at least their job security, by being greedy and unreasonable.
@misterorange - I feel like I am missing out because I have never eaten at Shake Shack, whataburger, or in n out. At the same time, everyone raved about Five Guys when it first opened locally, but to me it was the saltiest, greasiest, nastiest fast food yet.
Gamma Ape’s rant made this rick realize something: the absence of interaction at the ordering phase makes it less likely that a young food service worker will realize that a customer is kind of a douche.
This raises a question: how will they know who’s food to spit on?
This rick has a solution: the doucheID AI system. A new AI associated with the kiosk that identifies douches and tells the folks preparing the meal when they need to add some boogers and cum for extra flavor.
You don’t want to know what the AI tells workers to do when Skifredo places an order. Let’s just say it works best with chocolate shakes. ROAR!!!
But from time to time I will come across a place with a kiosk setup, like an airport eatery. I have mixed feelings about them. Yes customization is much easier, which I appreciate. But sometimes they can be slow and cumbersome to use, with a bunch of freaking questions just to get the order complete. They also don't accept cash, which I sometimes like to use if I have a wad left over from my last SC outing.
I think the Taco Bell kiosk, and probably other kiosks, are similar to the interface you get when ordering on the online website or mobile app. It’s easier to make substitutions and customizations.
An annoying thing about taco bell and mcdonalds is different locations can have drastically different prices even if they’re only a few miles apart. I remember a mcdonalds charging $2 for a pie that was only $1 at a location 2 miles away. You can add additional beef patties to a big mac- some locations only charge 60 cents each while some want $1.30 each or more.
I actually got a Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich on the way back from the clubs last night. My first fast food in a year.
I've heard the rule of if you're behind a counter, no tip.
Even the convenience store around here ask
There was a small family owned restaurant where the old man owner was also serving all the tables- probably too cheap to hire servers. I didn’t tip anything for that greediness
Most food apps are pretty good, I find it a pain in the ass to carry all these apps on my phone and remember a password for an app I may use twice a year.
I find most kiosks a pain in the ass, it’s always some huge ordeal if you want to remove one topping on a sandwich or something that would be simple fix if you were talking to a person.
Generally for me if I’m going through a drive thru I use an app, if I’m going inside I go to the staff and order over a kiosk if that’s an option.